Draw-bar spring for railway-cars.



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DRAW BAR SPRING FOR RAILWAY CARS. APPLIOATIOE FILED NOV. 9, 1901.

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No. 717,602. PATENTEB JAN. 6, 1903.

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' DRAW BAR SPRING FOB/RAILWAY CARS.

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UNITED- STATES" PATENT ()FFIGE.

JOHN F. OCONNOR, OF EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRANK"W. COOLBAUGH, OF EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

DRAW-BAR SPRING FOR RAILWAY-CARS.-

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N0. 717,602, dated January6, 1903.

Application filed November 9, 1901.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. OOoN'NoR, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city of Easton, in the county of Northampton andState of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Draw-Bar Springs for Railway-Cars, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in lo draw-bar springs forrailway-cars of all kinds.

The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved draw-barspring which is simple in construction, not expensive, can easily beapplied and easily varied in strength I5 of resistance according to thedifferent requirements,and which also permits of increasing theresistance of the spring much beyond the capacity of the springs in useheretofore without increasing the spring-space in the draft-rigging orunduly enhancing ,the cost.

In the accompanying drawings, in which like letters of referenceindicate like parts in all the figures, Figure 1 is a plan view of adraft-rigging provided with my improved '2 5 spring. Figs. 2, 3, audetshow the different arrangements of the spring-plates between thefollowers.

The cheek-plates A are secured in the usual manner to the draft-sills B,to which are also attached the stops C for the rear follower D and thecarry-irons E, upon which the follower travels. The follower is embracedby a yoke F, which at its front end is attached to a draw-bar G. Thefront follower Drests 5 against the front stops 0, attached to thedraft-sills, as shown in Fig. 1.

My improved draw-bar spring consists of a series of segmentally-bentplates G, which are placed on edge between the cheek-plates B 0 and restupon the carry-irons E, the springplates being so placed that theconcave sides face the end of the car, and these springs are interposedbetween the frontand rear followers D and D. The tension or pull on thedraw-bar and yoke moves the rear follower D toward the front follower Dand tends to flatten out the steel spring-plates G, and as this tensionor pull increases the spring-plates G are flattened more and more, andas soon as this pull on the draw-bar ceases the spring tension of theseplates tends to bring them Serial No. 81,6 76. (No model.)

back into their normal positionsthat is, to curve them as theywereoriginally before beiug flattened by the pull. The plates behave in alike manner when subjected to a compression strain. In flattening outthese spring-plates under the action of the pull or pressure strain ofthe draw-bar the friction between the plates is utilized in absorbingshock, and as this friction is very great it is evident that the springshave a much greater capacity than they would have if the friction couldnot be utilized for the purpose stated. Theplates G all have a slightinitial compression when in the yoke. As shown in Fig. 1, all thespring-plates G have their concave faces in the same direction, and thesprings nearest the connection between the draw-bar and yoke have agreater radius than the rear springs. For example, the first four platesin:Fig. 1 would have a radius of, say, fifteen and one-half inches, thenext four plates a radius of eight and one-half inches, the next four aradius of six and one-half inches, and the last four a radius of fiveand one-half inches. In place of the arrangement shown in Fig. 1 thesprings may be arranged in groups, as shown in Fig. 2, and each groupdivided into two sections, each section composed of two or more platesG, the concave faces of the two sections being opposite each other-thatis to say, the concave faces of one section facing in one direction andthe concave faces of the other section facing in an opposite direction,as also shown in Fig. 2. There may be more plates G in one section thanin the opposite section of the same group, and likewise there may bemore or less plates in the corresponding sections of different groups.As shown in Fig. 3, there may be three groups of two sections each suchas described above, and in like manner the capacity can readily beincreased to avery great extent. As shown in Fig. 4,-the plates are alsodivided into groups, each group divided into two sections. In Fig. 4 theplates are substantially segmental in shape, the same as shown in Fig.1, whereas in Figs. 2 and 3 the plates are flattened or straightened atthe ends and between such flattened ends are curved segmentally or in alike manner. The spring-plates are in no way connected with each other,and the entire spring is composed of a greater or less number ofindependent spring-plates. These may be grouped in different ways andmay have the same or a different number of plates in each group or ineach section of a group, as stated, thus permitting of graduating thisspring according to the uses to which it is to be put. Likewise they canalso be grouped difierently in order to provide for a greater or lessmovement of the draw-bar.

When a spiral springsuch as, for example, the Master Car-Buildersstandard-is used and the spring is compressed to its full extentthat is,metal to metalthe cheek castings and draft-sills must absorb the shock,and this usually causes the breaking of some part. With my spring suchcoutactthat is, metal to metal-throughout the entire surfaces of thespring-plates is impossible, because even when the greatest requirementis reached or when the greatest pulling or compression strain is on thedraw-bar the springplates will not be compressed to their full extent,but will still have curvature enough to resist and take up any shockWithout transmitting any of this shock to the cheek-plates ordraft-sills. As the plates G rest loosely upon each other and the edgepart of each plate must slide on the face of the plate with which it isin contact while the plates are being flattened under the action of thepull or compression on the draw-bar, the friction between such plates atthe contacting points is necessarily exceedingly great, and thisfriction usually absorbs the entire shock without calling to any greatextent on the spring tension of the plates themselves, which thus nearlyall is available to absorb and take up the pull or compression strain inthe drawbar. It is evident that these plates may be of variousdimensions; but I prefer to make them of such sizes that they will fitthe present draft-rigging.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. A spring for railway-car draft-rigging composed of a group of curvedsteel plates of the same size and of uniform thickness resting looselyon each other face to face, the plates having different radii ofcurvature from one end of the group to the other, substantially as setforth.

2. The combination with cheek-plates and carry-irons, of a group ofcurved steel plates placed vertically on edge between the cheekplatesand resting on the carry-irons, said plates being entirely disconnectedand loosely in contact with each other, of a follower at each end of thegroup of plates, which followers rest loosely upon and are movable uponthe carry-irons, a stop at each end of each cheek-plate outside of thefollowers, a yoke embracing the followers and spring-plates, and adraw-bar attached to one end of said yoke, substantially as set forth.

Signed at Easton, in the county of Northampton and State ofPennsylvania, this 29th day of October, A. D. 1901.

JOHN F. OOONNOR.

Witnesses:

H. T. BULKLEY, J OHN S. NOBLE.

